Non-SE-R: Methanol, was GM OHV engines

[Bruce.Hearn@cd-tech.com]

As was noted, methanol is usually associated with biomass.  Ethanol is also
biomass, but is well-established and promoted by Archer-Daniels-Midland,
which doesn't want it associated with biomass. As was also noted, ethanol
requires more BTUs to make than it stores. It's a losing game, but it's
renewable. Rather than methanol (whether biomass or oil-based), think about
methane: less processing, better combustion, slightly more power balanced
against the need for high-pressure storage and delivery.

In all cases, biomass fuel will be woefully inadequate. There isn't enough
land area on Earth to grow the biomass needed to make the fuel required
merely by the United States, let alone the entire world and also provide
food for the world's population. It can only be a short-term and niche
solution.  Fuel cells will be the next big mobile power source, but they
too require fuel (hydrogen, which has to be generated and stored somehow).

"Cows emit more hydrocarbons than automobiles today."

Cows emit more methane than cars emit HCs, but don't forget the huge
infrastructure behind the dealer storefront, from the trains, trucks and
ships that bring finished cars to the dealer, emissions by the power plants
that supply huge amounts of electricity used by the factory and the
smelters, the emissions of the refineries, plants and factories that make
the plastic products in the car and all the emissions by vehicles that
supply the factories, ad infinitum.

The crux of the bisquit is the apostrophe.  We need to devise and implement
a power generation scheme for infrastructure that doesn't use precious oil,
whether it be solar, nuclear or fusion or all of the above.  We also need
to devise and implement a mobile power generation scheme that doesn't use
precious oil.  Save the oil for important things, like plastic.

To put it all in perspective, we don't have water, food , oil or metal
shortages, we have a global CARBON shortage.

Bruce in Houston